Treats on the Internets

Intake and killing are both down at Anchorage ACC in Alaska. In 2005, the shelter took in roughly 9300 animals and killed 34% of them. In 2015, they took in less than 4500 animals and killed 15%. The cages are mostly empty now. My question: if most of the cages are empty, why are they killing 15% of their animals?

Shelter dogs labeled, and often mis-labeled, as pitbulls were found in a recent study to face longer stays before being adopted and were more likely to be killed.

Stay with me here: A vet in GA was using an outdated, second-hand hyperbaric chamber to administer oxygen treatment to an arthritic dog named Casanova. He placed a battery operated fan, which the manufacturer says should never under any circumstances be placed inside the chamber, inside the chamber. Something, probably the fan which should never under any circumstances have been there, caused a spark and ignited the oxygen. The chamber exploded and Casanova was killed. The owner and her 4 year old son, who were waiting in the next room for Casanova, expected an apology or at least a phone call from the vet. Instead, the vet told the owner Casanova must have started the fire. (Thanks Clarice for the link.)

Researchers find, among other things, differences between the way women and men play with their dogs. (Thanks Claire.)

4 Comments

mikken

In the Alaska story – “In 2015, 73 percent of dogs and 14 percent of cats made it back to their owners.”

Those numbers are RIDICULOUSLY high for RTO. Either they are doing something unusual to get that, or there’s something unusual about the community, or the numbers are fudged. I’m hoping that they’re doing something unusual that others can learn from and apply elsewhere.

Judith Pannebaker

With regard to that moron vet who exploded Casanova in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber, he didn’t call or issue an apology to the dog’s guardian because to do so would denote culpability. This then could be used against him in any civil litigation that might arise from the incident. Not for nothing, but it that had happened to any of my dogs, that quack’s ass would have been the subject of a lawsuit faster than a New York minute.